PEORIA – State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Bill, and state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, joined local school superintendents and community leaders to discuss the devastating consequences that the governor’s veto of education funding reform would have on Peoria schools.

“The governor’s veto of an equitable education funding formula will result in local districts receiving less money, while also pitting students across the state against each other,” said state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth. “Rather than support the model that supports every Illinois student equitably, the governor is focused on playing political games and removing the protections that would guarantee funding for school districts such as Peoria.”

Senate Bill 1, which creates an equitable school funding plan, would have fixed the state’s broken education funding system, and ensured that every school in Illinois saw increased funding. Despite his agreement with 90 percent of the legislation, Gov. Rauner issued an amendatory veto of the legislation, and cut funding to over 550 school districts, including Peoria School District 150.

“I remain hopeful that we can find a path to a reasonable compromise to reforming Illinois’ worst-in-the-nation system for funding public schools,” said Manar, the sponsor of Senate Bill 1 and a longtime advocate for fixing the state’s more than 20-year-old school funding formula.

“One way or another we’re going to get this done. But fair school funding cannot include the economy-killing provisions that target central and southern Illinois communities that Gov. Rauner attached in his veto of Senate Bill 1.”